Post office hosting Passport Day Tuesday

By Jon Becker

Published 7:08 am, Saturday, August 18, 2012

The Midland Post Office is participating in the United States Postal Service's efforts to make international travel a bit easier by hosting a Passport Day from 10:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. and from 2:30 p.m. until 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 21.

The regular office hours are from 10:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m., from 2:30 p.m. until 4:30 p.m.

Those planning a trip out of the country this fall and winter and need a passport can expedite the process by stopping by the Midland Post Office, located at 2900 Rodd St., officials said.

"The Postal Service has made it more convenient to travel internationally by offering passport application services at over 100 postal locations in Michigan," said Postmaster Steven Roekle.

As of June 1, 2009, U.S. citizens entering or reentering the United States are required to have a valid passport. Roekle said the Postal Service recommends coming in as early as possible-at least three months or earlier before your departure-to avoid additional processing costs.

Further, customers can go online at http://travel.state.gov/passport and fill out the passport application in advance and bring to the Passport Day event to save additional time, Roekle said.

To help the application process go smoothly and efficiently, the Postal Service recommends the following:

* Bring in proper proof of American citizenship. This must be either a certified birth certificate issued by the city, county or state; a previous U.S. passport; a certificate of citizenship; or a naturalization certificate. A hospital-issued birth certificate alone is not acceptable, officials noted.

* Bring in proof of identity. This must be either a previous U.S. passport; a naturalization certificate; a certificate of citizenship; or a current valid driver's license, government ID or military photo ID.

Roekle said the passport application process also requires customers have a recent photograph of themselves, which passport sites can provide for $15.

The Midland Post Office hosted a Passport Day last February that saw 64 passports issued, Roekle said.

Passport fees vary depending on a number of factors but Roekle said that a standard first-time adult applicant can expect to pay $150 or $135 if they do not need the U.S. Postal Service to provide an updated photo of them.